A republic of Transcaucasia, Azerbaijan borders Russia on the north, the Caspian Sea on the east, Iran on the south, Armenia on the west, and Georgia on the northwest. The 5,500-sq km exclave of Nakhichevan to the southwest is separated from Azerbaijan proper by a strip of Armenia. Area (including Nakhichevan): 86,600 sq km (33,400 sq mi). Pop. (1994 est.): 7,424,000. Cap.: Baku (Azerbaijani: Bakı). Monetary unit: manat, with (Sept. 27, 1994) a free rate (from May 24) of 1,632 manat to U.S. $1 (2,595 manat = £1 sterling). President in 1994, Heydar Aliyev; prime ministers, Surat Husseynov and, from October 6 (acting), Fuad Guliyev.

Chronic political instability forced the cancellation of a Turkic summit scheduled to take place in Baku in January and impeded progress toward democratization and economic reform. Throughout the year the Azerbaijani leadership implemented a systematic policy of repression; police intimidated journalists, detained opposition activists, raided the premises of several opposition parties, and forcibly prevented protest demonstrations. In early October Interior Ministry troops took the prosecutor-general hostage to protest the arrest of three security police officers in connection with the assassination of two close associates of Pres. Heydar Aliyev but later released him. On the following day, supporters of Prime Minister Surat Husseynov temporarily seized control of several provincial cities but were swiftly overpowered by government forces. The population of Baku took to the streets to demonstrate in support of Aliyev. Despite protestations of his innocence, Husseynov was fired and charged with treason; he later fled to Russia. Aliyev imposed a two-month state of emergency, arrested several government ministers suspected of complicity in the putsch, and purged numerous officials.

The economic situation continued to deteriorate faster than predicted. During the first six months, the gross national product fell by 25%, industrial production by 27%, and agricultural output by 13%. Annual inflation was estimated at 880%. The parliament failed to enact legislation on privatization. Oil-sector workers went on strike in August to protest a deterioration in living conditions.

The tension in relations with Turkey resulting from former president Abulfez Elchibey’s ouster was dispelled in February when Aliyev traveled to Ankara to sign a 10-year treaty of friendship and cooperation and 15 other documents. Similar agreements were signed with Britain later that month. Azerbaijan joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace in May and held talks on joining the Council of Europe.

In February Russia brokered a cease-fire in Nagorno-Karabakh that finally took effect in mid-May and was further extended in late July, thereby lending new impetus to the rival Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) effort to mediate a settlement of the conflict. Despite intensive diplomatic activity by both Russia and the CSCE and an appeal by Aliyev to the UN General Assembly in August, progress toward a political settlement was obstructed by Azerbaijan’s refusal to condone the deployment of predominantly Russian peacekeeping troops on its territory, its insistence on the withdrawal of Karabakh Armenian forces from all occupied Azerbaijani territory (about 20% of the country), and the inability of the CSCE to persuade Western governments to provide peacekeeping troops to monitor the cease-fire.

After protracted negotiations, in September Aliyev signed a $7.4 billion contract giving seven Western oil companies a 70% share in developing Azerbaijan’s Caspian oil fields. Although Azerbaijan had earlier ceded 10% of its own 30% share to the leading Russian oil company, Lukoil, the Russian government promptly denounced the contract, arguing that any decisions on exploitation of mineral reserves had to be coordinated with all Caspian littoral states. Azerbaijan ceded a further 5% of its share to Iran in November in exchange for considerable financial and technical assistance. Elizabeth Fuller

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country of eastern Transcaucasia. Occupying an area that fringes the southern flanks of the Caucasus Mountains, it is bounded on the north by Russia, on the east by the Caspian Sea, on the south by Iran, on the west by Armenia, and on the northwest by Georgia. The exclave of Naxçıvan...